i) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an anti-human myocardial C protein monoclonal antibody, a hybridoma producing the antibody, process for preparing the monoclonal antibody and a drug for the diagnosis of heart diseases using the monoclonal antibody.
ii) Description of the Background Art
Image diagnosis plays an important role in diagonosing ischemic heart diseases typified by myocardial infarction, making it possible to non-invasively identify the region where myocardial necroses occur and the seriousness of the disease. Among the image diagnoses is scintiscanning which utilizes a monoclonal antibody against human myocardial myosin.
Another approach for diagnosing ischemic heart diseases has also been proposed, where the amount of myosin is measured which flowed out of the myocardial cell membrane due to necroses of the myocardial tissue.
Human myocardial C protein is a protein which constitutes human myocardial cells and is associated with the heavy chain of human myocardial myosin. It has a molecular weight from 135,000 to 150,000, which mediates between the heavy chain of human myocardial myosin (MW: 450,000.about.480,000) and the light chain of human myocardial myosin (MW: 70,000.about.80,000). In the diagnosis of myocardiopathy, measurement of human myocardial C protein also provides useful clinical information.
Conventionally, no anti-human myocardial C protein monoclonal antibody has been established which is usable in the diagnosis of myocardiopathy.